The electric-car maker's store staff don't work on commission and--at least as long as electric cars remain a new and mysterious item to most consumers--they prioritize offering information along with encouraging serious shoppers to buy the car online.

Of course, Tesla's model has been met with fierce opposition from auto-dealer associations in numerous states, which has led to outright bans on direct sales in some.

Lexus isn't discussing any concrete plan for mall stores of its own. But anything it intends will keep dealers as "part of the solution," Bracken said.